JAMIE JUSTHAM – USING ALL OPTIONS TO MAKE BEST USE OF HIS FUNDS

Jamie is a CAF Charitable Trust client, and founder of Dotted Eyes, an organisation providing services to partners such as the NHS in the Geographic Information System (GIS) market. Here, he explains the wide array of causes he has used his CAF Charitable Trust to support.

“After a career in business, my wife and I sold our company and, for the first time, found we had more money than we needed to live on. We wanted to use some of that to help multiple charities in a way that would make a lasting impact. I opened a CAF Charitable Trust by donating quite a modest lump sum. The whole process couldn’t have been simpler. The CAF Charitable Trust serves as a ‘holding tank’ on which Gift Aid can be claimed, and I’ve since been able to add to it with further donations of cash and shares.

From the fund, we’ve already been able to make numerous gifts. As well as giving to a few major charities which have particular significance for us, we’ve enabled the creation of local school choirs, replaced the organ console in a chapel, fitted out a school library, funded a student in medical research, kick-started a symphony orchestra’s capital endowment fund, contributed to the building of new theatres and supported a reconciliation project in Burundi.

At our request, CAF conducted due diligence on a community initiative which isn’t structured as a registered charity, validating its charitable aims so that both we and other CAF donors could support it. In several cases, we’ve had a chance to get involved in other ways too, by volunteering time and experience and by witnessing the difference made by particular projects.

At the same time, we’ve made loans for social investment similar in total value to our gifts, with the help of CAF Venturesome. At first it was a revelation to learn how charities not only rely on donations but often find it difficult to borrow money while they are waiting for grants and funding.

Within the CAF Charitable Trust, I’ve also made some financial investments, generating a return that can finance future giving. The day will come when I can no longer add to the fund with new donations, but by selling down these investments, we‘ll be able to continue making gifts. I’ve appointed someone from the next generation of the family as my successor in managing that process.”